Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Genesis 24:9 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 9. 9And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The servant performs the required gesture and swears to Abraham concerning the commission. The verse closes the instruction scene and moves the story from defined responsibility to the journey.
A search with a refusal clause
This verse is one part of that explanation in Genesis 24:1–9. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Genesis 24:1–9
Read verse 9 with verses 2–8 and 10. The earlier speech supplies the oath's actual terms; verse 10 begins the servant's faithful action. The gesture must not be interpreted apart from the woman's refusal condition and the prohibition against moving Isaac.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The servant's oath closes the commission and prepares his departure in the next verse.
Read Genesis 24:9–9 together
Why these verses belong together: The servant's completed oath closes the commission before the journey begins.
Verse 9. 9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.
What Remains True
Accepting responsibility means agreeing to the task's real boundaries, not merely promising the preferred result.
How It Can Shape Life
- Before taking on consequential work, repeat back the purpose, limits, contingencies, and accountability so that commitment is clear and coercive improvisation is ruled out.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Genesis 24:1–9 — Abraham Commissions a Wife-Finding MissionSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? very strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed wording, unit boundaries, unnamed servant, mission terms, refusal clause, land promise, later fulfillment, and repeated oath gesture.
Exact location: Genesis 24:1–9 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source; compared with Genesis 12:1–7; 15:2; 22:20–24; 23:1–20; 24:10–67; 26:34–35; 27:46; 28:1–9; and 47:29–31
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Age idiom, servant seniority, oath language, kin/birth-land wording, willingness, emphatic return question, messenger, release, and final oath.
Exact location: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 24:1–9; lemmas and morphology for zaqen, bo bayyamim, eved, thigh, swear, moledet, avah, shuv, malakh, naqi, and shevuah
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Translation clarification, Hebrew emphasis, oath syntax, messenger wording, and the refusal contingency.
Exact location: NET Bible, Genesis 24:1–9 and translator notes 1–19, especially senior/oldest, oath gesture, emphatic return question, birth-land, angel/messenger, and release from oath
Open NET Genesis 24 ↗